Cloudy skies help regulate our planet's climate and yet the answers to many fundamental questions about cloud formation remain hazy. New research suggest tiny ocean life in vast stretches of the Southern Ocean play a significant role in generating brighter clouds overhead. The study shows that plankton, the tiny drifting organisms in the sea, produce airborne gases and organic matter to seed cloud droplets, which lead to brighter clouds that reflect more sunlight. [Source: UW Today (University of Washington)]